Do you have a Dodgy hand???

​I don’t often coach at clubs but when I do and am having an introductory chat with new riders one of the most common things they tell me about themselves is that they have a dodgy hand! These dodgy hands seem to have minds of their own and riders become very worried about them! Understandably so, considering our hands communicate with such a sensitive part of the horse – ie, their mouths.

So why do some people have these annoying , misbehaving hands and others not?
Just luck of the game?
Probably not!

Sometimes the rider may have had an injury to their body on one side, resulting in crookedness and this crookedness may result in the horse being crooked and therefore having uneven contact or the rider may be hanging on more with one hand or stiff in that arm due to being unstable in their seat. So there are lots of different scenarios and reasons but the common link is that the dodgy hand is more than likely the end result of something else! No amount of being told to control that hand is going to work if the underlying reason is not found.

I absolutely love this detective work with regards to rider positional challenges. This is why I developed the Equest Connect Program. It draws on all my knowledge in different areas, from veterinary, elite training to rider and horse rehab and uses a range of fun exercises and equipment. I honestly believe this is the absolute best way to become incredibly aware and in control of your own body so that you can move in sync with your horse and develop the feel to know when, how and what to ask for at the correct time. I run these as individual or shared sessions, tailored to your own specific needs. Best of all, these complement what you do with your coach and are by no means designed to replace or interfere with your current training.